Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM


Top Flashcards (Certified)
All Flashcards

Geography - A LEVEL > Clouds And The Atmosphere - P > Flashcards

Clouds And The Atmosphere - P Flashcards

1
Q

What is a cloud

A

A mass of water drops or ice crystals suspended in the atmosphere

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

When do clouds form

A

When the air is saturated and cannot hold any more water

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

What are the two ways clouds can form

A

The amount of water in the air has increased
The air is cooked to its dew point
(BOTH) until the air is unable to old any more water

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

How do cumuliform clouds form

A
  1. When air is heated locally the air parcels rise through the atmosphere.
  2. These parcels expand and cool.
    3.as cooling reaches due point, condensation begins and clouds form
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

What form of clouds do cumuliform take

A

Flat bases and considerable vertical development

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

What do cumuliform clouds look like

A

Fluffy clouds which are relatively low in the sky

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

How do Stratiform (layer) clouds form

A

1.Air moves horizontally across a cooler surface
2. Turbulence and this process forms these clouds

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

What do Stratiform clouds look like

A

Grey uniform later clouds in the mid level if the atmosphere

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

How do Wispy cirrus clouds form

A
  1. They form at a high altitude and consist of tiny ice crystals.
  2. Do not produce precipitation do have little influence on water cycle.
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

What do Cirrus clouds look like

A

Wispy high up clouds.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

Why are the suns rays not evenly spread around the world

A

Solar radiation travels longer distance through the atmosphere to get to the poles of the earth but a shorter distance to the equator

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

How do clouds help with weather predictions

A

Clouds help metereologists to predict the weather

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

How do clouds help with water distribution

A

Clouds help to move water across the planet

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

How do clouds help with planetary heat regulation

A

1 - cloud systems help spread the sun’s energy thats concentrated in tropics to the poles.
2 - some clouds contribute to warming because they trap heat.
3 - some clouds contribute to warming because they trap heat

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

What are the conditions needed for clouds to form and precipitation

A

1 - Water vapour enters the atmosphere through evaporation and wind transports it through advection
2 - aerosols come from volcanoes,forest fires, air pollution

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

What happens when water vapour and aerosols connect

A

The parcels become saturated and cool to their dew point till droplets begin to form and when they are large enough they fall

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

What must occur for clouds to form

A

Evaporation

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

What must be there for evaporation to occur

A

Heat (energy)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

What is the heat energy used for in evaporation

A

The energy is used to break the binds that hold water molecules together

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
20
Q

What happens when there are higher temperatures

A

There is more energy available to break bonds during evaporation

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
21
Q

What percentage of moisture in the atmosphere is from evaporation

A

90%

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
22
Q

What percentage of moisture in the atmosphere is from transpiration

A

10%

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
23
Q

Where does frontal rain usually occur

A

In regions where warm tropical air meets cold polar air (usually mid lstitude)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
24
Q

How does frontal rain form

A

1 - when the two air masses meet the warm less dense air is lifted up and over the cold dense air
2 - warm lese dense air cools and water vapour condenses or falls as raindrops.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
25
Where is the heaviest rainfall in frontal rain
Is on the front there can be rain before the front
26
How long can frontal rain system be
From hundred possibly thousands of miles long
27
Is frontal rain a small or large scale system
Large scale system
28
How does Orographic rain form
1 - moisture laden air is forced upwards over right ground producing cloud and potentially precipitation. 2 - precipitation on high ground removes moisture from the air creating a rain shadow and drier conditions on the leeward side
29
What is it called when irographic and frontal rain are combined
The seeder feeder effect
30
What does the seeder feeder effect cause
10x more rainfall on high ground than low ground areas
31
Why do seeder clouds above feeder clouds cause more rain
The seeder clouds rain and washes out droplets in feeder clouds
32
How do convective rain clouds form
1 - bubbles of air rising upwards in the atmosphere (happens when air is heated below) 2 - the bubbles cool and the water vapour it contains condenses into clouds 3 - when the cloud reaches a certain depth or the clouds top temperature cool sufficiently it will rain
33
What type of cloud produces convective rain
Cumulus cloud
34
What type of atmospheres form convective clouds
Unstable atmospheres
35
What type of cloud is convective rain
Short time rain and covers a small area
36
How does snow form
1 - begins as ice crystals in high clouds below freezing (0°C). 2 - snowflakes form when ice crystals stick together as they fall through the cloud.
37
How does snow stay as snow when it falls through the atmosphere
The snowflakes must stay frozen from cloud to surface so it must fall through cold air
38
How does sleet form
1 - begins as ice crystals in high clouds below freezing (0°C) 2 - sleet is a mix if tain and snow formed when snow falls through a layer of warmer air near the ground 3 - some flakes melt whilst others remain as snow
39
How does freezing rain form
1 - forms when raindrops hit surfaces that are below freezing (0°C) 2 - they freeze on impact and turn into ice
40
How does freezing rain form
1 - forms when raindrops hit surfaces that are below freezing (0°C) 2 - they freeze on impact and turn into ice
41
What are the 6 air masses called
Polar maritime mass Returning polar maritime Artic maritime mass Polar continental air mass Tropical continental air mass Tropical maritime air mass
42
Where is polar maritime air mass form and what is it like
From greenland/ Arctic sea Wet cold air bringing cold showery weather
43
Where is returning polar maritime form and what is it like
From greenland/ Arctic via North Atlantic Moist mild and unstable air bringing cloud and rain showers
44
Where is arctic maritime air mass form and what is it like
From Arctic Wet cold air brings snow in winter
45
Where is polar continental air mass form and what is it like
From central europe Hot air brings dry summers cold air brings snow in winter
46
Where is tropical continental air mass form and what is it like
From North Africa Hot dry air brings hot weather in summer
47
Where is tropical maritime air mass form and what is it like
From Atlantic Warm moist air brings cloud rain and mild weather
48
What is humidity
The humidity of an air mass is the concentration of water vapour present in air
49
What are the two ways if measuring humidity
Absolute Relative
50
What is absolute humidity
A measure of actual water vapour in the air measured in (g/cm³)
51
What is relative humidity
The ratio of absolute humidity to the theoretical maximum for a given temperature and lressure
52
What is (g/cm³)
Grams if moisture per cubic meter of air
53
Which air can hold more vapour warm or cold
Warmer air
54
Which air take steps water vapour to become saturated
Colder air
55
If the temperature 30°C whats the maximum water that a parcel can hold
30g/m³
56
If a parcel of air is filled with water vapour what is it
Saturated so condensation can occur and clouds can form
57
What is relative humidity
The amount if water vapour as a % of what a parcel could hold
58
If a water droplet has only 50% relative humidity what does it mean
It means it is only storing 50% of what it could store. To become saturated it needs to get 100% relative humidity then it becomes saturated and condenses to form a cloud
59
What happens when air reaches 100% humidity
- the air is now saturated and has reached its dew point/ condensation level - water condenses from water vapour gas (energy known as latent heat is released as part of this process) and clouds for.
60
What are the 3 lapse rates called
Environmental lapse rate (ELR) Dry adiabatic lapse rate (DLAR) Saturated adiabatic lapse rate (SALR)
61
What is the environmental lapse rate (ELR)
The rate if decrease of temperature with altitude in the stationary atmosphere at a given time and location. AVERAGE: -6.5°C for -100m
62
What is the dry adiabatic lapse rate (DALR)
The rate at which a parcel of dry air (less than 100% humidity) cools. The DALR (rate at which rising air cools) is ~ 10°C per 1000m
63
What is the saturated adiabatic lapse rate (SALR)
The rate at which a saturated parcel of air cools as it rises through the atmosphere because condensation releases latent heat. The SALR is 7°C/km
64
How is an atmosphere stable
Air that is cooler than the atmospheric air will sink to the Earths surface as it does it warms and doesn't form clouds leading to: high pressure, atmospheric stability
65
Is atmospheric stability relate to high or low pressure sytems
High pressure
66
What are the typical conditions of atmospheric stability
Dry weather and mostly clear skies with larger diurnal temperature changes due to greater radiation loss at night and greater sunshine during the day
67
What is atmospheric instability
When air that is warmer than the atmospheric air rises to a level where it reaches its dew point (100% humidity) water condenses and forms clouds which leads to: low pressure, atmospheric instability
68
Does atmospheric instability relate to high or low pressure systems
Low pressure
69
What are the typical conditions in an instable atmosphere
Clouds and precipitation that minimise temperature changes throughout the day

Geography - A LEVEL (30 decks)

Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2025 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions